RCCA One-Shot Collection
by Devi-Yosh
Summary: Just a collection of the more recent RCCA (Russellcest/Corrupted Alliance one-shots. None of these stories are in order - unless it says they're prologues or epilogues to other stories - but nevertheless enjoy! (WARNING: Some stories may contain trigger warnings, crude language, or unbearable fluff)
1. Facing Your Fears

A soft knocking sound startled Double awake, snorting in alarm as his eyes flew open. He was previously having a marvelous dream, one in which his subconscious can barely remember now. Struggling to take in what little was left of his dream, the young hedgehog climbed out of bed and walked to his bedroom door, yawning.

He opened the door and smiled tiredly when he saw his father Bramble standing there. "Hi, Papa..." he smiled, cupping a paw over his mouth in another yawn. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry for waking you up, buddy, but I've got someone I really want you to meet," Bramble replied. Double noticed he was bouncing up and down a bit on his hind legs, and his purple eyes shone with excitement.

"Can't it wait until after my nap?" Double muttered as he swayed a bit on his paws that weren't completely awake yet either. "I'm really tired..."

"Usually, I'd say yes," the red hedgehog began, "but this opportunity won't come for a long while. It's autumn and she's about to hibernate. I haven't seen her in forever and I really want you to meet her. I'd show your siblings and mother as well, but as you know they're off running a few errands. Please, son? For your old man - er, hedgehog?"

It was obvious Bramble wasn't going to let Double go back to sleep one way or another, so he yawned a third time and smiled, trying to blink sleep out of his eyes. "Okay, Papa, I'll do it for you." He yelped as his father scooped him up in a large hug, and he grunted as he tried to pop his prickly head out from between his chest and arms.

"Thank you, Double! This means so much to me!" Bramble purred as he nuzzled his son's cheek. He placed him down and started towards the front door. "I'll give you some time to wake up. I'll be waiting behind the house."

"Okay, be right there!" Double replied, waving farewell to his father for now. Once the red hedgehog walked out of the house, he grunted. He so desperately wanted to go back to bed, but he knew he had to do this for his father; with all the wonderful things he and his mother Thistle had done for him and his siblings, he owed him at least this.

Scooping up his pink scarf and heart pendant, Double made his way into the bathroom to splash some cold water in his face to help him wake up.

* * *

Five minutes were spent waking up and getting ready to meet his father's old friend, and finally Double was ready. He walked out of the house and around it to the backyard where he spotted Bramble a few yards away crouching down, his back turned to him. The younger hedgehog waddled over to his father, speaking up when he was in earshot. "I'm here, Papa. Who's your friend?"

Bramble sat up and looked at Double with a wide smile, yet his torso was still turned away from him, as if to hide something. "I met her when I just grew out of my hoglet state, around your age. I'm honestly surprised she had managed to live this long, but I'm very glad she finally came back to visit me from her travels on ships and trucks around the world. The lucky lass!"

Double giggled a bit. "She sounds wonderful! I can't wait to meet her!"

"There is one thing you must promise me, though, Double." Bramble's gaze suddenly darkened with seriousness. "You mustn't scream or run away, and you'd better not attack my friend. Do I make myself clear?"

"O-Of course I wouldn't do that to your friend, Papa!" Double exclaimed, confused and shocked by his father's words.

Bramble's eyes almost immediately brightened back up, and he bent down again to scoop something up in his paws. He then turned around to reveal his best hoglethood friend...

And who - or in this case _what_ \- Double saw made him want to shriek and run for the hills and beyond.

There in his father's paws was a giant fuzzy black tarantula!

Trying desperately not to shriek at the top of his lungs, Double only let out whimpers and whines as he eyed his absolute worst fear, trembling from quill-tip to toe claw. How could it be? Bramble's best friends with a _spider_? This is absolute madness! Everyone in his family feared the little eight-legged "freaks", but apparently Bramble was the only one who liked them. This just scared poor Double even more...

"Did you know," Bramble suddenly spoke, trying to break the ice, "that tarantulas are one of the only breeds of spider who don't spin webs? They rely on their speed, strength, and venom to do the job a web originally would. Of course, my best friend Puff here would never harm anyone who isn't a pesky insect. People and animals tend to take spiders for granted because of their appearance, but if it weren't for these marvelous creatures harmful bugs like locusts and mosquitoes would kill off every last human being, plant, and animal."

Double blinked a bit in surprise. He had never known that about spiders. He was prepared to block out everything his father was going to say in his friend's and her kin's defense, but he forced himself to remember that this creature was one of his closest friends. She hadn't hurt Bramble in all these years, and there was no way she was going to harm Double if he's his son, especially in front of him.

"So... Spiders have more to offer than just looking scary?" Double asked with a tremble.

"Spiders are only scary if you make them seem scary," Bramble smiled softly. "It's the same with any other thing. If you want to be scared of dogs because of their sharp teeth, you'll be scared of them. If you want to be scared of fish because of their buggy eyes, you'll be scared of them. The same goes with spiders and their appearance; if you want their eight legs or fuzzy bodies or tiny eyes to be scary, you'll make them seem scary."

"That... actually makes a lot of sense..." Double muttered in shock. He looked down at the tarantula and whimpered as she was looking back up at him, but she wasn't reared back to leap out at him or anything. If anything, she was trembling as well.

"One other thing," Bramble chuckled, noticing his friend trembling in his paws. "People may be scared of spiders for their appearance, but have you ever considered how they felt about us? They're downright _terrified_ of us due to our own size; you and I are at least four times bigger than Puff here is, but a full-grown male can be over a hundred times bigger! All these little sweeties want to do is mind their own business and hope others will do the same."

"Spiders are scared of us?..." Double gasped. "But what about spiders who bite us?"

"They're just trying to defend themselves because they're scared and have no where to run or hide. It's like a last resort to them, like how stinging something is a bee's last resort. Granted spiders don't die if they bite anything."

Double looked back down at Puff, who was still trembling a bit. He had never thought of a spider's true role in this world, or what it would be like to walk in their shoes. Suddenly, he didn't even feel that afraid of them anymore. They seemed just as innocent and peaceful as any other animal, just with an intimidating appearance.

The younger hedgehog broke out of his thoughts at the feeling of Bramble gently grasping onto his arm and pulling it towards him. He watched as his father slowly placed his other paw holding Puff to Double's, and he whimpered as the tarantula began to slowly crawl onto him.

"N-No!" Double yelped, trying to pull his paw away. Puff stopped in her tracks and began to back up back into Bramble's paw a bit, but Bramble gently shushed his son.

"Calm down, Double. She's not going to hurt you. I promise." He placed his paw to Double's again and Puff hesitated, afraid Double will have another fearful outburst.

The younger hedgehog was trembling again as well, just itching to yank his paw away again. But then again, what Bramble said was true: things only seem scary because you make them scary. Gulping down most of his fears and forcing a gentle smile, he softly said, "C-C'mon... I won't shout again... Or I'll try not to..."

Puff looked up at Double as he spoke, and he had a feeling she could understand what he was saying for she began to slowly crawl on his paw. The feeling of her fuzzy thick legs crawling on him made him want to shriek, but he kept repeating to himself, "She's not gonna hurt me... She's not gonna hurt me..."

Bramble gave his old friend a small push to usher the spider a bit faster, then slowly retracted his paw once her back legs lifted away and onto Double's. Now the tarantula was standing on Double's paw, and the younger hedgehog couldn't help but tremble in fright. For crying out loud, he had his worst fear staring him in the face on his arm!

Puff seemed to gain more confidence, for she began to crawl up Double's arm slowly, as if trying not to startle him with any sudden movements. Double couldn't keep back terrified whimpers as the spider crawled closer and closer to his face.

"Seems to me like she likes you," Bramble chuckled. "If I know Puff, she's crawling over to give you some affection."

"Wh-What k-kind of a-affection...?" Double gulped. He braced himself for the worst as Puff crawled up onto his shoulder, but he felt nothing but fuzziness rubbing against his cheek. He cracked an eye open, and they flew all the way open in utter surprise to see the spider was actually nuzzling him!

"What did I tell ya?" Bramble joked. "Puff's a very affectionate specimen of her kind, and she's quite playful, too."

As if on cue, Puff began to crawl down Double's quilled back, brushing her fuzzy legs between them against his back. This made Double yelp and squirm a bit and giggle. "Hehehe! That tickles! Hehehe!"

"I take it you like her at least a little?" his father asked.

Double blinked a few times in thought, then looked down to see Puff crawling on the ground up to his legs. Finally, he smiled and gently picked up the tarantula, who was trilling in a friendly manner, and hugged her gently. "Actually... I love her. I was always so scared of spiders because of their appearance, but I never knew some could actually be so friendly once you got to know them." He giggled as Puff nuzzled his cheek again.

"I knew Puff would be the best way to help you get over your fear," Bramble smiled. He then gently took Puff from Double and placed her on the ground in front of a little den. "Well, as I said before, she's beginning hibernation since it's autumn. Hopefully she'll be warm enough..."

"I know!" Double suddenly squeaked. He unwrapped his pink scarf from his neck and placed it in front of Puff. "My scarf is super soft. I want you to use it during hibernation, Puff."

Puff looked up at him and trilled loudly, waving her two forelegs around happily. She then clutched the end of the scarf and crawled into the den, trilling a last goodbye to the two hedgehogs.

"That was a very nice thing to do, Double," Bramble said with an approving nod to his son. "Now I know she'll be just fine."

"Thanks. I can't wait to see her again in the spring!" Double squeaked happily with a little excited waggle of his haunch.

"And I'm sure she can't wait to see you. It's too bad she couldn't stay long enough for the others to meet, but they'll be able to meet her again in a few months. Now come along, it's getting chilly out here."

"Chilly? For a thick-furred hedgehog who loves the snow?" the younger hedgehog joked.

"Oh, hush!" Bramble leaped on Double and pummeled his belly gently with his forepaws, causing him to shriek with laughter. The older hedgehog stopped and helped his son up, then waddled back to the house. "Come in when you're ready!"

"Okay, Papa!" Double waved farewell to his father before turning back to the den Puff crawled into. He smiled and crouched down on all fours to try and peer inside it, but he could see only pitch blackness. Softly, he spoke through the hole, "Sweet dreams, Puff. I can't wait to see you in spring." With that, he got to his feet and waddled after his father to the house.

* * *

Once again grateful for the fuzz on her body to help her navigate through the pitch black den, Puff crawled down the hole, clutching the very soft and warm pink scarf in her front legs. Once she crawled into the tiny clearing that was her sleeping place, she began to bundle up the scarf so it made a small pile of warmth and fluff. Nodding in satisfaction with her work, she crawled on top of the pinkness - which was barely visible in the darkness that engulfed the den - and snuggled into it.

She really liked Bramble's son - Double, was it? - and she knew he liked her, too. She was used to being screamed and stared at for her appearance, her being a large pitch-black tarantula and all, but she was glad her old friend and his son weren't scared of her. She was very grateful for Double's gift; she was so worried she wasn't going to be able to survive this hibernation considering her age, but now she knew she'd be able to live long enough to not only see her two friends again, but also introduce a new plethora of spider babies come next spring.

Puff had a feeling Double wouldn't be as comfortable around a hundred plus tiny spiders, and she was expecting him to freak out a little like how he did earlier when meeting her for the first time. But she also hoped she could help him see her next litter of children would be as harmless as she was, as well as teach her children not everything that's big is scary. Take Bramble for example. In fact, she hoped that one of her children will grow very attached to Double so he and the little spider could become the best of friends for years to come, just as she and Bramble are.

Trilling softly in content, Puff closed her eight beady eyes and drifted into sleep, snuggling against the warm, fluffy pink scarf.


	2. A Tarantula's Tale

**This is the prologue to Facing Your Fears.**

 **TRIGGER WARNING: Contains off-screen rape. Don't worry, this is how a spider's mating ritual is done anyway, so it isn't technically rape... Nevertheless, be warned.**

It's getting close to autumn. Hibernation is less than a month away. I'm dreading this hibernation season, for that means I'm getting closer and closer to my arranged marriage.

I don't love Russet, though. I think he's a nasty specimen of his species: arrogant, cocky, and worst of all, abusive. My girlfriends have told me how female tarantulas would marry Russet in arranged marriages in the past, and once they mated no one saw his spouses ever again. Rumor has it that Russet kills his wives. Others say he pushed the eggs too deep in his wife's abdomen that when they finally hatched the only way for them to escape was to eat through their mother, and that's how they went.

I don't know if I believe those tales, but all I know is I don't trust that mud-red tarantula at all. I have no choice, though. I'm a female spider, and a leaf tosser one at that. Leaf tossers are tarantulas who's job it is to clean out the dens of others, ridding it of leaves and moss and loose gravel. It's a humiliating position, and what's worse is I'm the only female leaf tosser, so I'm looked down upon by every single tarantula, even the male leaf tossers. (Who are they to talk, though? I'm not the only one with this job!)

My parents think it's the best idea for me to marry Russet because he's one of the most popular spiders in the pack. Oh, how I wish for the traditions of female spiders leading the pack was adapted from the orb weavers and black widows... For crying out loud, almost all female spiders are at least three times larger than the males, so we should be in charge! Sleeping in our cozy den as the males compete to bring us the best gifts of food...

But that's not how this pack operates. The size doesn't matter, only strength - unless you're a strong female, then in that case it's gender - and I hate it. Spiders were all created equal! Why should one gender stand above the other? (Then again that'd go against the traditions of the orb weavers and black widows.)

I'm thrown out of my thoughts by an angry hiss from Russet. Roach, he hisses, finish cleaning out my den so we can mate already. I'm done with lazy females such as yourself.

Roach! Who does he think he is, insulting his future mate like that? And my name is Puff, thank you very much!

I do not want to marry that vile creature. He's an insult to all arachnids, even those who aren't spiders like our scorpion cousins. But again, who am I to have a say in anything? I'm a female leaf tosser, I can't do fly dung to protect myself from marrying him.

They're all pretty much bidding me farewell from the living world. Once Russet's done with me, no one will ever see me again...

* * *

Oh, no... Today's the day! Today I have to marry Russet! I'm not ready to die! Don't let me die!

Of course everyone thinks I'm overreacting. Russet's a very reliable spider, they'd say. He'll take good care of you.

Then how the heck do you explain all the disappearances of Russet's previous wives?

There's no turning back now. I'm already on the Moss of Marriage. Wait, I am? I'm not ready to die!

The elder spider of course is the one who marries two spiders together, and folks say this will be his last time marrying two spiders. At least no other females will be killed by Russet when he can't marry anyone else. But why did the last marriage have to be with me? Why not Berry, or Frost? Or better yet Puddle. After all, she's nothing but a filthy-

Oh, right, the wedding. I wish I had the freedom to say I don't instead of I do. I don't want to marry him! He's a monster lying under a blanket of disguised humility and maturity!

The impatient chirp of Russet interrupts me from my thoughts. It was my turn to say I do. Well... Every spider has to die sooner or later I guess...

I do-

Wait. No! I can't! I can't die, I just can't! I have someone to see! I must see him, I must!

Oh, no! I already said I do, though! No! I have to see him! I have to see my best friend!

Russet suddenly rammed into me gently with a snap of his jaws, ushering me off the Moss of Marriage and towards his den. Already we're beginning the mating? But I need to go! I can't die, please!

Go in, hissed Russet, so we can prove to the pack how much we love each other.

But I don't love you! I hate you, I'm scared of you! Someone please save me! Oh, if only my friend were here to save me...

* * *

Ow... That hurt so bad... I've never done that before, you rotten arachnid, but you acted like I've been doing it all my life! I'm not Puddle, I'm not a-

Oh, wait, he's sleeping. Maybe... Maybe this could be my chance to flee! I'll flee this awful pack and find my friend! I don't know where he's living now, but I know I'll be able to find him again. I have to!

I slowly rise to my eight legs and crawl out as quietly as I can, trying not to wake Russet up, and once I reach the end of the tunnel I made a run for it, bolting out of the clearing and working my legs as fast as I could.

Thank goodness I'm free of my ignorant pack. It's about time, too. Now I'm off to find my friend!

* * *

Wow... I've been walking for a long time... How may days has it been so far? A week? A month? A year? I've lost track after ten...

Hey... What's that over there? It looks like some kind of town. Maybe they'll know where my friend is! Hopefully no one there has arachnophobia. Though with my luck everyone in there probably will... Well, you can't succeed if you don't try.

I walk into the town and look around. There are so many houses here! It's big enough to be a city! ...Well, not that big, but it's still big compared to a small tarantula.

Hey, is that a person over there? No... not a person... Some kind of porcupine? No, the quills are too short and not as sharp. That thing - whatever it is - is a pretty bright shade of orange, though. What's that on his ear? A flower? I never knew flowers came in green. Wait, I got it, he's a hedgehog! The same species as my friend! If he can understand and talk to me, maybe this hedgehog can, too! Hopefully they're friends or maybe even family members!

I run over to the hedgehog as quickly as I could and stopped at his paws, then let out a flurry of friendly chirps. Hello!

The hedgehog looked down and let out a yelp, jumping back, his eyes wild with shock and fear. I sighed. Yep... Of course he's arachnophobic...

"Wait, you're not a water bug," the hedgehog suddenly spoke in a high-pitched voice - I'm guessing he's a child at least, or a teen at most. He peered down at me with large black eyes. "Hey, you're a spider! A tarantula! Cool!"

So he's not scared of me! This is wonderful! Now I can ask him where my friend is! Do you know where I can find a hedgehog like you, only a bit chubbier, who is red?

The hedgehog keeps looking at me in fascination. Great... He can't understand me... Maybe I can ask using body language instead. Hopefully this works.

I lift up my forelegs and wave them around, trying to make it clear I'm desperate. I then point at him, hoping he'll understand I'm looking for a hedgehog. And finally I pluck a poppy out of the grass and wave it around, showing off the red color of the flower.

"You wanna give me a flower? That's so nice of you!" The hedgehog reached down and took the flower from my grasp, them sniffed it happily.

No! That's not what I wanted! Oh, how am I supposed to tell this thick-headed hedgehog who I want to see?

I bounce up and down, trilling impatiently, trying to catch his attention again. He looked down at he with an embarrassed look and said, "Y-You weren't giving me the flower?"

You can keep it, it's okay! Just tell me where my friend is! I need to see him before hibernation begins in an hour! I can feel my instincts calling me to my den to sleep the autumn and winter away! Oh, if only I could spell out words in the sand like my great-great-great grandmother's third cousin twice removed Charlotte did with her web!

I grab another poppy and pluck out all its petals, then place them on the hedgehog's left hind paw, turning it red. The hedgehog just blinked in confusion at what I was doing, and I hissed in annoyance. I rub the redness of the petals into his paw, trying to turn his fur red, and he squealed and lifted his paw away.

"Hey, that tickles!" he giggled.

Oh, this is hopeless! I'll never find my friend with this ignorant hedgehog's help!

Sighing in defeat, I slowly walk away, ignoring the hedgehog's call of, "Hey, where are you going? Come back! You seem like a really sweet and playful spider! I wanna introduce you to my friend's father Mr. Bramble!"

I immediately halted, my eight eyes wide with disbelief. Did he just say... Bramble? As in Bramble Berry Russell?

"Mr. Bramble loves spiders! Unlike the rest of his family. I know you'd love to meet him!"

I've gotta give this a shot! This Mr. Bramble just might be my old friend! Guess this hedgehog isn't as thick-headed as I thought!

I run back over to him, trilling excitedly, and the hedgehog giggled before gently picking me up. His paws are pretty soft, but they're not as gentle as Bramble's are when it comes to handling me.

"I'll take you to him now!" the hedgehog grinned before walking on. "By the way, my name's Happy-Go-Lucky! Nice to meet you!"

* * *

I wait patiently in Bramble's backyard, waiting for him to return with his son who's apparently extremely arachnophobic. I hope he doesn't take too long, though; I have only a few minutes left before my instincts take over and I go to hibernate. Well, maybe I can start digging myself a den as I wait for him to return.

Luckily, that Happy-Go-Lucky hedgehog was talking about my old friend, and I was so happy that he recognized me almost immediately upon seeing me. I haven't been this happy in years, and now he's inviting me to hibernate in his backyard! I'm so happy I ditched that stupid pack to live with my best friend!

Bramble told me all about his life, how he ended up perishing in a big forest fire with his wife Thistle when his sons and adopted daughter were just children. With some kind of magic from this angelic panda who's name I don't remember, he and his wife came back to life and moved in with his now grown-up sons, daughter, and recently adopted third son. Man, he sure does have life good. Well, except for dying in the flames that is. Oh, I should probably stop digging. This den seems big enough to support me. Though it's still pretty cold down here... I hope I'll be able to survive until spring...

"Puff!" I heard Bramble's voice call from outside the den. "My son's going to be here shortly. You ready to come out?"

Ehhh... I'm not sure... I mean, I'm kinda through with excitement for one month. But then again, I'd be helping Bramble out a lot by helping his son get over his fear of spiders, and I do owe him something in return for letting me stay with him. Okay, I'm coming out!

* * *

I have to admit, Bramble's son - Double, was it? - is very, very sweet once you get around his fearful screaming. I'm really glad I met him after all, and he also gave me this amazingly fluffy and warm vine-like thing to sleep with! I'm not sure what it's called, but it's very warm, and it'll be perfect to help me survive this hibernation season. I sure do hope he'll like my little children when the time comes for me to lay their eggs.

I don't really care that much anymore if these are the children of that horrid Russet. They might end up having some of his arrogance and impatience in them, but they'll also have my kindheartedness and love. I can't wait for my little hundred plus bundles of joy to hatch so I can introduce them to Bramble's entire family, and maybe they'll make close friends out of Bramble's son as well so they can have a close relationship over the years to come, just as Bramble and I have. Boy, I'm getting pretty sleepy... This pink pile of fluff really is super soft and warm, and it's perfect for lulling me to sleep.

I'll see you in spring, my friends... Wait for me...


End file.
